On The Other Hand
by LovecraftFan
Summary: Tokyo-3 is under attack by a pack of unknown monsters and the EVA Units are in danger of getting overwhelmed. Can NERV really trust the word of the mysterious HEAT that the monster they call Godzilla can truly help them? Or will HEAT's objections to the EVA pilots keep the two divided? Cover art by pmcconnolly
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: The story is my only original idea, all characters belong to their respective owners and copyright holders and is not in anyway meant to be used for profit.

* * *

The sun rose over the Tokyo-3 skyline as its denizens went about their daily lives as always. The adults worked or hung out while the children and teenagers attended school, trying to maintain an air of normalcy under the looming threat of a possible Angel attack. But deep below the city, such an attack was only one of many things NERV headquarters staff had to worry about. Still attempting to shake off the soporific blanket of sleep with coffee, the technicians in the Command Center monitored the skies for any signs of Angel activity while ensuring that the Magi and everything else in NERV was running as it should.

First Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba yawned and stretched his arms over his head. "Another exciting day at NERV," he announced sarcastically, trying to break the silence of the morning slog.

No one bothered to respond; the most he got were half-hearted glares from First Lieutenant Makoto Hyuga and First Lieutenant Maya Ibuki before they returned to their work. Shigeru did the same when he saw that no one was going to argue with him.

"Every morning, same old thing," he grumbled under his breath before returning to work.

The technicians, along with the gigantic monitor displaying security footage and other bits of data, all labored under the calculating gaze of Commander Gendo Ikari and Deputy Commander Kozo Fuyutsuki.

"It's been about a week since that orbital Angel attacked, hasn't it?" Kozo spoke up as Gendo's eyes shifted towards him.

Gendo nodded. "Yes, it has been a week, but why would you bring that up?"

Kozo sighed. "Because it seems too quiet, and it's troubling to think what new, horrific shape the next Angel will take," he replied.

"While I do agree with you, Fuyutsuki, I think you're letting the tension get to you. We've already been through ten Angel attacks; are you really going to let a moment of silence unnerve you?" Gendo asked, dryly, before turning his attention back to the screen.

"I guess you're right," Kozo muttered.

While Gendo and Kozo conversed, Maya's eyes widened as the radar picked up a large object, roughly twenty-two meters long, entering Tokyo-3's airspace. The security cameras confirmed this as they showed the large object speeding towards shore.

"We have an unknown object flying towards Tokyo-3, and it's coming in fast!" Maya shouted.

The rest of the technicians quickly began going through the various monitors and scanners within the system. Kozo looked down at Maya.

"Is it an Angel?" Kozo asked.

"We are still determining that, sir!" Maya replied.

Kozo nodded. "Contact Dr. Akagi and Chief Katsuragi and tell them to get down here as soon as possible," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," Maya said, picking up the phone.

* * *

Shinji Ikari gazed listlessly out the window in his classroom, as the teacher continued the history lecture. The teacher's words turned into white noise as his thoughts wandered elsewhere. He hoped the Angels wouldn't attack for at least another month. It was a silly thought and he knew it, but he was enjoying the time he got to spend away from fighting. Despite NERV, the routine training exercises, and synchronization tests serving as a constant reminder, he still tried not to think about it.

Shinji took a moment to look around and see what everyone else was doing. Rei Ayanami was quietly taking notes — as were Toji Suzuhara, Kensuke Aida, and Hikari Horaki. Asuka Langley Soryu was listening to the teacher, but she looked rather distracted, at least to Shinji's eyes. He wondered if it was because she was musing over the same things he had been thinking about earlier. He quickly pushed that thought aside and began thinking about what he might do after school as his attention drifted back to the window and the world outside.

The sky seemed peaceful as the clouds slowly shifted and moved around and over the sun. That was until Shinji spotted something flying in the distance, anyway. At first, he thought it might've been a bird or possibly a plane. But as it drew closer into view, a chill ran down his spine; he saw that the object was occasionally flapping what appeared to be a large set of wings. Shinji's heart began to throb in his chest as the monstrosity took on a more bat-like shape before flying over his school and emitting a piercing shriek, causing everyone to cover their ears until it passed.

"What the hell was that?" Toji shouted in a mixture of anger and fear.

"I think it was an Angel!" Kensuke shouted back.

Then, as if on cue, the loudspeaker crackled into life and gave a painful shriek. "All students and staff please evacuate the building in a calm and orderly fashion. This is not a drill. There are buses waiting outside that will transport everyone to the nearest civil defense shelter," it announced in calm tone, and everyone stood up and walked out of class.

* * *

Ritsuko stood in the middle of the Command Center as she watched the images on the huge screen with curiosity and a vague sense of terror, trying to process what exactly the beast before her was.

"Do we have a reading on its blood type?" she asked no one in particular.

"Yes, Doctor Akagi, it's orange," Maya replied.

"I see. And the Magi?" Ritsuko asked, her voice sounding distant.

"They can't seem to make anything of it but they're recommending we launch the EVA units just in case," Maya answered promptly.

Ritsuko simply nodded as she continued to study the screen. So not even you can make heads or tails of this, she thought to herself. She thought back to all the Angels they had encountered up to this point and, while some imitated the general shape of Earthly organisms, none of them matched terrestrial forms this perfectly. The creature was clearly a bat, with dark blue skin; tall, thin ears; red eyes; a nose with pointed nostrils; a mouth full of jagged teeth; and a mane of fur on top of its head that trailed down the back of its neck. The bat flew using two huge, membranous wings while its two feet dangled below, each equipped with three claws. But what really threw Ritsuko off, besides the fact the bat's skin shifted with its movements like most mammals, was the lack of any sign of a core.

Her train of thought was halted when Misato burst into the room, looking very serious.

"What's the status on the pilots?" she demanded as she looked up at the screen and saw the city was already starting lowering as citizens evacuated.

"Our agents have retrieved them and are on their way," Makoto responded.

"And the Angel? What's it doing now?" Misato fired back.

"It's flying on an undetermined course over Tokyo-3. It has not yet attacked or landed, ma'am," she answered.

"It must be planning something…" Misato muttered while she watched the screen.

"I'm not so sure we're dealing with an Angel…" Ritsuko spoke up.

"What? What do you mean?" Misato asked.

"Look at it, does that look anything like the Angels we've seen before?" Ritsuko demanded testily.

"No, but it could be a new form. And besides, even if it isn't we still can't be certain it won't attack," Misato countered.

"True," Ritsuko said before returning to her thoughts.

Makoto suddenly turned to Misato. "The Angel has changed course, it's landing!" he shouted.

* * *

The giant bat landed on top of the small building with a crash before it looked around. The few remaining people fled in terror, trying to seek shelter from the horrific beast. But as they ran, the bat let out a shriek at a much higher pitch than before, causing the people below to cover their ears in agony as the windows in cars and nearby buildings shattered before taking flight once more and swooping down to snatch up some of the tiny figures.


	2. Isle Del Diablo

Dr. Nick Tatopoulos stood at the bow of the HEAT Seeker as the small ship made its way across the ocean, the cool air blowing past his face. Nick could see his destination — Isle Del Diablo — slowly peeping up on the horizon, the black column of smoke from the island's volcano acting as a grim beacon. His thoughts couldn't help but trail back to the message he had gotten from Major Hicks:

"Dr. Tatopoulos, Major Hicks has ordered you and your team to report to Monster Island immediately. The situation is urgent. Major Hicks will brief you upon arrival. We will be escorting your ship to the island." The soldier had recited the message in the usual military tone, but it had a dire air to it.

When he asked what exactly the situation was, the soldier offered only a single phrase: "There's been a containment breach." At that, Nick and his crew threw their equipment together as quickly as possible and headed off for Isle Del Diablo with two military boats following close by. He knew why Hicks had called them, but he didn't want to think about how severe it must be if they had to bring his team in to seal the breach.

Nick was brought back to reality when he glimpsed Godzilla's head and spines rising in the distance briefly before quickly vanishing below the waves.

"At least we have you if things are really that bad," he mumbled to himself.

Nick turned around and headed into the HEAT Seeker's control room, where Agent Monique Dupre was steering the ship. Her eyes fixed out at the sea, cold and calculating.

"How much longer until we reach the island?" Nick asked as he entered the cabin.

"About an hour, maybe two, depending on the weather," she replied in her usual thick, French accent.

"And how's the weather?" Nick inquired.

"Fine," Monique promptly answered, her tone bland.

"Alright, then. I'll get out of your hair," Nick said, turning back round to leave.

"Don't forget, Nick, some of the weapons on this ship are still operational," Monique said, reminding him as he opened the door.

"I'll try to keep that in mind," he said before leaving and heading below.

Below deck, Dr. Elsie Chapman sat in a chair, quietly reading a book while Dr. Mendel Craven and Randy Hernandez worked on NIGEL. The yellow robot stood motionless as Mendel examined its parts and Randy typed something up on his compact computer, which was jacked in to NIGEL.

Randy looked up. "Yo, Nick, how much longer till we get to Monster Island? I think Mendel's looking a little green." Mendel shot him a glare before returning to his work.

"Shouldn't be too much longer. What are you and Mendel doing with NIGEL?" Nick asked, walking up behind them and peering over their shoulders.

"I'm trying to see if I can get NIGEL to put out a little more speed in case he has to get close to any of the monsters for whatever reason," Mendel answered before sneezing.

"I'm making sure our buddy is calibrated… and I want to see if I can get him to talk like Bruce Campbell," Randy added, eliciting a sigh from Mendel.

"Having any luck?" Nick interrupted before Mendel could lecture Randy.

"Not really. I don't have the tools or the equipment to do much." Mendel looked at NIGEL's head. "I just hope he won't have to get too close," he said in a slightly mournful tone.

"Old double-barrel here, blow your guts to Kingdom Come!" NIGEL suddenly shouted between his usual clicks and whistles, causing Mendel to jump and Randy to burst out laughing.

"I really wish you would stop that," Mendel groaned.

Randy simply grinned and went back to typing on his computer.

"I'm sure everything will be fine, Mendel; it can't be anything too bad if Major Hicks is calling us in instead of the army," Elsie chimed in.

"Or, you know, it could be something so bad that they need us and the G-man," Randy retorted.

"Let's hope you're right, Elsie," Nick said with a tone of finality, giving Randy a disapproving look and heading to the lab.

* * *

Another hour and a half passed before Monique's voice came on the intercom. "Everyone, get up here, now! Hurry!" she said, a hint of urgency in her voice.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed to the control room, where they met with Monique.

"What is it?" Nick asked.

"Look," she said simply, pointing straight out the window.

Just ahead of the HEAT Seeker was Isla Del Diablo and its port, but before it was a colossal, oval-shaped object that shone brightly with a white light. The inside of the oval showed what looked to be random colors shifting about but at times briefly came together to form a distorted image. While this image had some symmetry to it, the distortion made it very difficult to make out. Meanwhile, the outside was surrounded by apparent ripples in space and seemed to be at least 20 stories in height.

The HEAT team stared in awe at the gigantic apparition as the ship made its way around it and towards port.

"What is that thing?" Mendel asked aloud.

"It looks like a portal or something…" Elsie ventured hesitantly.

"You think we're going to go through and find pyramids on the other side?" Randy joked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Mendel huffed irritably.

"Well, whatever it is, I have a feeling it has to do with Major Hick's invitation…" Nick murmured, his voice tinged with worry.

* * *

Eventually, the HEAT Seeker and its escorts reached the port and HEAT met with Major Hicks. As they made their way across the pier, they noticed that much of the base ahead of them had no electricity and appeared to have weathered a lot of heavy damage.

"Major Hicks," Nick called as his team approached the officer at the end of the pier.

"Tatopoulos," Major Hicks returned, offering his hand for Nick to shake. Nick took and gripped it firmly.

"So what happened here? And what is that…thing...just off the coast?" Nick asked, gesturing at the looming oval.

"Four hours ago, one of our cargo ships heading for DC docked to refuel and restock their supplies. Half an hour later, a freak storm hit the shore and everyone took cover. Two men who hunkered down near the dock reported seeing a waterspout forming and sucking up the ship. They said that, several seconds after the vessel had been taken in by the storm, the waterspout exploded in a bright white light that knocked out the island's power supply and formed that…portal," Major Hicks point to the oval. "The guards did the best they could, but with communications down, they were barely able to manage. Fifteen were killed in total, at least seventeen were critically injured, and six of the monsters managed to escape through the portal," Major Hicks explained as everyone listened in silence.

"What was the cargo ship transporting?" Nick asked.

"The remains of a Tachyon ship we recovered," Major Hicks said bluntly. Nick shot him a dirty look.

It had been over a year since the Tachyon Invasion, yet the images were still fresh in Nick's mind. He could still see the ships descending as the monsters — including Godzilla and Cyberzilla — demolished everything in sight and the military, including Major Hicks, acted as puppets by the invaders.

"A Tachyon ship?" Nick grumbled. Major Hicks put his hand up, stopping his complaint.

"Relax, Tatopoulos. We disassembled it, and the ship was only carrying what our boys in the lab think could be a superluminal drive along with some other engine parts," Major Hicks reassured him.

"A super-what-a?" Randy interjected.

"That's what I said; apparently, it's supposed to allow the Tachyons' ship to travel faster than the speed of light," Major Hicks explained.

"Whoa, you mean like on Star Trek?" Randy cheered excitedly, eyes brightening at the thought.

"Who knows, the ship was supposed to be taken to NASA for study, but then the storm struck," Major Hicks said glumly.

"Well that might explain the…portal, but why would a storm cause an explosion of such magnitude?" Mendel questioned as he rubbed his chin.

"Maybe it was a time storm that flung us into the future," Elsie joked.

"That could be a possibility...but really, what are the chances of that happening?" Mendel said. Elsie simply rolled her eyes.

Nick glared at the two and cleared his throat before turning back to Major Hicks "So, Major, which monsters escaped?" he asked.

Major Hicks turned to one of his men. "Soldier, tell me again which monsters escaped," he ordered.

The soldier consulted the clipboard in his hands. "The bat, shrew, mosquito, cobra, Crustaceous Rex, and one of the hummingbirds are currently unaccounted for, sir."

"I'm guessing you need us—and Godzilla—to get them back?" Nick sighed.

"Correct, though I'm going to have some of my men load three ships with equipment to help recapture them. You'll be leaving shortly."

"W-Wait, how do you know that portal is safe?" Mendel asked, voice quivering a little.

"We sent a boat with two men in it through it and they came back fine. There was no sign of the monsters, but apparently there's an ocean on the other side, and the air is breathable." Major Hicks then heaved a gusty sigh. "Unfortunately, radio transmissions are impossible on the other side and I need to be here to keep an eye on things. Once you reach the other end, my men will defer to you."

Nick looked to his team and then back to Major Hicks. "When do we leave?"

"In an hour," Major Hicks said bluntly, dismissing them with a nod.


	3. Attack of the Giant Bat

Shinji breathed deeply as the cockpit filled with LCL, his hands gripping the controls tightly. He tried to clear his mind and relax, wanting to focus on the mission at hand, but he was still a little unnerved from the "Angel's" earlier flyby. Once again, he had to go up and fight it alone. Still, he was at least safe inside the protective shell of EVA Unit-01.

In the Command Center, Misato watched the monitors; some showed images of the purple colossus that was Unit-01, while others viewed the Angel devouring its captured meal from afar. Asuka and Rei stood nearby as Ritsuko — along with the other technicians — reviewed Unit-01's specifications before launch. Asuka sulked with her arms crossed, pouting, and Rei simply studied the monitors. Unable to find a better target, Asuka directed her heated glare at Misato.

"Why are we even here if you're just going to send stupid Shinji to fight the Angel?" Asuka whined.

"Because we need you to be on standby in case something goes wrong. As far as we know, one EVA should be enough, but since we don't know what this thing is or what it might be capable of," Misato explained patiently until Asuka looked away.

"Still seems stupid," she murmured; Rei stood silently.

Makoto turned to Misato. "Evangelion Unit-01 is ready for launch," she announced.

"Then launch!" Misato ordered. Makoto nodded and input the command.

In an instant, the holding mechanism was released, and Unit-01's platform shot up through a tunnel several miles long. At the end of the tunnel were two doors leading to the city above which quickly opened, bringing the mechanical giant to the surface. Shinji readied himself as the harness that held Unit-01 in place released, allowing it to move freely.

"Remember, Shinji, try to injure or cripple it. I want to study this thing alive, if possible," Ritsuko reminded him over the video link.

"Right," Shinji said, nodding. He moved the controls forward, willing the colossal machine to take its first step forward. He was ready to fight.

* * *

The Giant Bat viciously devoured the two people it had captured; their terrified screams had died out an hour ago. It wasn't a very filling meal, but it was the best it could muster at the moment. Its ears perked up at the sound of enormous, booming footsteps approaching it at an increasing rate. The Bat looked up to see Unit-01 barreling towards it like an Olympic runner, the cable in its back thrashing from the motion. The Bat screeched at the oncoming giant before taking to the air and diving towards Unit-01.

The purple colossus stopped upon seeing the Bat fly up into the air and barrel down towards, raising its arms in preparation to catch the flying beast. But, once the creature got within range, it unleashed an incredibly high-pitched shriek. The giant's arms fell limp as the bat latched onto Unit-01 and bit into its neck.

Inside the cockpit, Shinji screamed and instinctively covered his ears to try and block out the horrific shriek. It was as if someone was scratching a chalkboard with rusty razor blades and broadcasting the results through a giant amplifier. The volume of the shriek was so loud it drowned out the messages from the Command Center and even caused one of the monitors to crack. But Shinji's pain was not over yet; when the beast bit into Unit-01's neck, the mental synchronization caused him to feel two daggers sink into his own neck, adding to his screams of agony.

Back at the Command Center, everyone looked on as the unknown creature sank its fangs into Unit-01 and refused to let go. Misato, mouth agape, watched with a mixture of fear and anger as Unit-01 simply stood there and took the monster's attack.

"Come on, Shinji, you're better than this, just…fight through the pain!" she yelled into the microphone, her voice rattling through the receiver at the other end.

And indeed, Shinji grit his teeth before forcing his hands to the controls. Pushing back the pain of the beast's bite, he managed to make Unit-01 raise its arms and toss the creature aside, the Bat taking a small chunk of Unit-01's flesh with it before falling onto its back. Quickly Shinji tackled the Bat, pinning it to the ground. But once it was pinned, the beast let out another ear-piercing shriek, leaving Shinji to cover his ears and writhe while the creature slid out of his grasp. Once it had escaped, the beast took flight, heading away from the colossus.

Misato once again called Shinji on the communications link.

"Shinji, you're going to need to shoot that thing down so we can capture it. We're sending you a rifle to help, try to aim for the wings," she ordered as a structure emerged from the ground a mile away from Unit-01 and opened, revealing the huge Pallet Rifle.

"Got it," Shinji said before getting Unit-01 to stand and run for the newly emerged rifle.

While the purple giant made its way to the giant gun, the Bat circled back and dove towards Unit-01 with claws outstretched. It didn't take long for Unit-01 to reach the Pallet Rifle and remove it from the holster before aiming it at the beast. Shinji did his best to focus on the incoming monster's wings and began firing. His first three shots missed before the fourth one managed to graze the top of the Bat's left wing, causing the creature to cry out in agony. Still, it continued to push forward with its attack, shrieking as it dove.

Shinji fought the urge to cover his ears in pain; the shriek caused his audio feed to fizzle and more cracks to form on the monitors, while his eardrums felt like they would pop at any moment. Despite all of this, Shinji continued to fire wildly at the Bat and, while most of the shots missed, he managed to get one shot in at its wing and another at its side. The Bat cried out once more before flying away in, leaving Unit-01 to kneel down and drop its gun.

"Shinji! Are you alright?" Misato shouted over the comm.

Shinji, however, couldn't hear her as his ears rang, drowning out any other noise. After a minute of silence, the ringing dissipated and Shinji could hear Misato's pleas over the comm.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, I just…need a minute," he said weakly, sinking into his chair.

* * *

Misato watched the huge screen showing Unit-01 kneeling before cutting to the Bat landing on another building. The creature's wounds were seeping red blood, and the way it shuddered and limply moved its wing indicated that it indeed felt pain. However, as Misato and everyone else watched, the bullet wounds seemed to heal at an extraordinarily fast pace.

"Stupid Shinji, I bet I could've taken down that thing without any problems. Why didn't you send me out first, huh?" Asuka complained, breaking the silence as she pouted.

"Amazing," Ritsuko said with a soft sigh, ignoring Asuka as she observed the creature's wounds healing themselves as the minutes ticked by.

"Damn it...this thing can heal like an Angel, too?" Misato grumbled.

"Hey! Aren't you going to answer me?" Asuka interrupted.

"In a minute, Asuka," Misato said in the calmest tone she could muster.

"It's healing faster than you would expect, but I wouldn't say it's on par with the Angels, so it shouldn't be too difficult to take down," Risuko said, answering Misato's earlier question.

"But we still have the problem of that sonic attack it keeps using," Misato rebutted.

"True, but maybe if we—" Ritsuko was interrupted by the sound of the alarm going off once again.

"What now?" Misato shouted.

"We have another unknown object emerging off the coast of Tokyo-3," Maya answered.

"Blood Type?" Ritsuko asked.

"Orange, ma'am," Maya replied.

"Put it on-screen," Misato ordered; Maya nodded.

The screen cut to the coast of Tokyo-3, where a dark shadow drew closer to the surface before a huge monster erupted out of the water and crashed onto the shore. The enormous, putrid yellow creature had two giant legs holding up its comparatively small torso. Its feet had four clawed toes, radially spaced around each foot. The thing's torso had various spikes poking out from its sides as well as a few on its back, along with one large spike at the bottom end of its trunk. It was equipped with four tentacles at the center of its torso, as well as two smaller tentacles on the bottom of its torso and on the sides of its neck. Upon reaching the shore, its beady, black eyes gazed upon the new landscape before its mouth opened like a four-pedaled flower and let out a savage roar.

Ritsuko's eyes widened in terror and awe while Misato gritted her teeth.

"Damn it, how many of these things are there?" she asked aloud to no one in particular before turning to the technicians.

"Get Unit-02 prepped for launch." Misato turned to Asuka. "Asuka, get suited up."

"Finally," Asuka said in a snobbish, excited tone before turning and walking down the hall.


End file.
